Recently, I had a conversation with a Christian man in his early thirties who said he didn’t think there was any value in reading fiction. He went as far as to say that he believes it’s a waste of time for the Christian. He was well-mannered and pleasant —but I believe he’s wrong. As I listened to him speak, I thought about the quote from George R.R. Martin, “I have lived a thousand lives, and I’ve loved a thousand loves. I’ve walked on distant worlds and seen the end of time. Because I read.” To that end— here are three reasons it’s a good idea for Christians (and all people everywhere) to read fiction.
- Reading fiction increases compassion. When we read fiction, we are introduced to fictional characters who act, think, and behave differently than we do. As a story unfolds, we begin to understand what motivates the characters. We may or may not agree with them, but by being privy to the dialogue, we see the plot unfold from their perspective. In the process, we learn the skill of seeing things from another person’s point of view. In the process, we learn empathy and compassion, and we take those traits into our daily lives.
- Reading fiction broadens our horizons. Recently, I read a fictional story about a young woman growing up in Germany during World War II. I’ve never traveled to Germany, and I wasn’t even alive during World War II, but by the end of the book, I had a better understanding of what it was like to grow up in Hitler’s Germany. When we read widely, we step into different time frames in world history and learn about new places and cultures. We “meet” people we’d never see in our local coffee shops. Fiction gives us a passport to the vast and outlandish world God has created.
- Jesus told stories to teach and heal. If you read the Bible, you’re probably familiar with Jesus’ parables. In the parables, Jesus used storytelling as a means of communicating spiritual truths. In the course of the story, He would often use a familiar analogy to teach an unfamiliar spiritual truth. Storytelling is effective—it’s one of the primary ways we learn and hold onto information. In fact, as God’s image-bearers, we are all part of an unfolding story—the Grand Narrative of Redemptive history—that’s told in the Bible. Simply put, human beings are wired for stories.
If you’re unsure about reading fiction, I hope this will encourage you to reconsider. Mark Twain said, “A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t.”
- What books have made a significant impact on you? Share in the comments.
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